Govt plans 8.2% higher production target for three oilseed crops

ISLAMABAD, Nov 05 (APP):The government has proposed an 8.2% increase in the combined production target of three major oilseed crops for 2026–27, targeting 883,732 tonnes of canola, sunflower and rapeseed/mustard against 817,100 tonnes achieved in the previous crop year. According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the combined cultivation area is targeted to increase to 682,140 hectares, compared with 630,854 hectares cultivated during 2025–26. This represents a planned expansion of 51,286 hectares, or 8.1%, while combined production is targeted to increase by 66,632 tonnes, or 8.2%, to 883,732 tonnes in 2026–27. Rapeseed and mustard emerged as the strongest performers against the production targets for 2025–26. Their combined output reached 603,404 tonnes, exceeding the target of 541,890 tonnes by 11.4%. The area under cultivation also surpassed the target by 21.7%, reaching 490,219 hectares against 402,810 hectares. Building on this performance, the proposed production target for rapeseed and mustard has been set at 647,866 tonnes for 2026–27, representing an increase of 7.4% over the previous year's achievement. The proposed cultivated area stands at 526,505 hectares, also 7.4% higher than the area recorded in 2025–26. Punjab accounted for the largest share of rapeseed and mustard production, with output reaching 460,530 tonnes against its target of 407,000 tonnes in 2025–26. The province's proposed production target for 2026–27 has been set at 506,000 tonnes, with the cultivated area proposed at 360,000 hectares. Sindh and Balochistan also exceeded their rapeseed and mustard production targets during 2025–26. Sindh recorded 70,154 tonnes against a target of 68,630 tonnes, while Balochistan produced 67,680 tonnes compared with its target of 60,890 tonnes. The proposed targets also indicate plans to increase canola production. The national output has been targeted at 140,810 tonnes for 2026–27, compared with 128,026 tonnes achieved during 2025–26, representing a proposed increase of approximately 10%. The cultivation area is targeted to expand by 10.1% to 93,235 hectares from 84,704 hectares. Punjab remained the leading canola-producing province, contributing 121,270 tonnes, or approximately 94.7% of the national output during 2025–26. Its proposed production target for 2026–27 stands at 133,000 tonnes, with 85,000 hectares earmarked for cultivation. Sunflower production is also targeted to increase by approximately 11% to 95,056 tonnes in 2026–27, compared with 85,670 tonnes achieved in the previous crop year. The proposed cultivation area has been increased 11.6% to 62,400 hectares from 55,931 hectares. Punjab and Sindh recorded the largest sunflower production volumes during 2025–26, with outputs of 38,880 tonnes and 34,642 tonnes, respectively. Their proposed production targets for 2026–27 have been set at 43,000 tonnes and 39,570 tonnes. However, the figures also show that canola and sunflower production remained below their original targets during 2025–26. Canola output stood at 128,026 tonnes against a target of 217,251 tonnes, while sunflower production reached 85,670 tonnes against a target of 127,740 tonnes. The proposed targets for 2026–27 point to a planned expansion in both cultivation area and production across all three oilseed crop categories, with rapeseed and mustard continuing to account for the largest share of the combined production target.